This invention relates to a garden swing, particularly a garden swing having planters for containing and displaying garden plants.
Though gardens generally include garden plants, such as flowers and shrubs, that have been planted in flower beds and the like, it is also not uncommon for gardeners to include raised beds or planter boxes in the garden. If the garden area includes a tree, it is also not uncommon for gardeners to hang objects from the tree, such as bird-feeders and hanging planters.
Trees are also often used by children for play, and it is a childhood tradition to hang a swing from the tree. Adults also enjoy swings. Home-made swings typically comprise a simple plank of wood having holes drilled through ends of the plank to receive one or more knotted ends of rope. However, the aesthetics of such a swing can be a mis-match for a planned garden such as a Victorian garden. It would generally be desirable in such gardens to employ a swing that contributes to the design and plan of the garden.
One way to provide a swing meeting this objective is to include ornamental features on or in the swing. However, if the swing is provided with ornamental features by a mass manufacturer, there is a risk that a particular gardener will not like the ornamental features or, even if liking the features generally, will not find them suitable for the particular plan of his or her garden.
As was previously mentioned, it is often a gardener""s desire to hang planters from trees. The swing is also typically attached to a tree. It is difficult to escape the cluttered look that results from hanging too many disparate objects from trees, even when the objects are not, by themselves, unattractive.
Considering all of the above, it is a problem of providing a mass produced swing that can be integrated, in an aesthetically pleasing way, into any given one of a variety of garden designs to suit a variety of gardener""s tastes. Accordingly, there is a need for a planter garden swing providing for a configurable ornamentation for achieving visual consonance with any particular, custom garden. Moreover, there is a need for a planter garden swing providing visual appeal when used in a garden employing both a swing and a hanging planter.
A preferred embodiment of a planter garden swing according to the present invention includes an elongate swing seating member for seating at least one person, and respective planter receptacles at each of the opposite ends of the seating member. The planting receptacles are provided to hold soil or other support material for supporting a plant. The seating member includes at least two attachment members for attaching respective chains, ropes or other elongate flexible members, for connecting the swing to a structural support such as a tree limb, joist or the like.
Garden plants such as colorful flowers may be grown in the planter receptacles, so that the planter receptacles provide for a configurable ornamentation for the swing, i.e., the type and color of the plants may be selected to integrate visually with the rest of the garden. Moreover, the planter receptacles provide the benefit of a hanging planter and may substitute therefor, if desired.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel garden swing and method for providing configurable ornamentation therein.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the following drawings.